Posted on 12/26/2005 8:11:14 AM PST by Conservatrix
To the Editor:
"Last week I substituted at a local elementary school in Lebanon County. The lesson plan required me to read the 1882 poem “The Night Before Christmas” by Clement Clarke Moore to two classes of students. While I can appreciate the poem for its literary value, the subject matter is offensive to me, and the reading of this poem to the children imposed values upon me which are against my deeply held religious beliefs. I could not in good conscience present the notion of Santa Claus as a truth to the children, and stated so.
No public school teacher should be required to teach a belief, or custom, or religion that he or she believes to be false, or be required to pass those purported falsehoods onto impressionable children, without the right to state a disclaimer. Furthermore, freedom of speech and religion, no matter how unpopular the speech or against cultural norms the religion, are protected rights under the Constitution of the United States. A secular public school should not be propagating any kind of religion. The belief in Santa Claus as a divine, magical, omniscient, powerful, giving, loving father-figure, to which children are taught to make supplications and requests, is a religion indeed-- a distorted substitute for the Judeo-Christian God; a false form of Christianity; a zealously-protected American idol.
In presenting the poem, I gave the children quick historical background about the Santa Claus myth-- its evolution from the historic Nickolaus, Bishop of Myrna in Asia Minor, who died in 343 A.D., to its amalgamation with ancient Western pagan traditions of German, Scandinavian and Dutch origins, to the current manifestation in the secular Christmas culture of today. (Dutch children, for example, would put their wooden shoes out at night for “Sante Klaus” to fill with candies.)
The current Santa Claus figure was popularized in the late 19th Century by artist Thomas Nast of Harper’s Weekly Magazine, who depicted “Saint Nick,” not as an elf, but a rotund, pipe-smoking man in a red and white suit. This is the deity to which countless public school children today are taught to make supplications, and about whom they sing their many songs at annual public school Christmas programs.
If people are upset about the revelation to children that Santa Claus is a myth-- which all children who are taught this lie find or figure out eventually-- perhaps it is because Santa is that zealously-guarded idol of their own modern religion. Therefore, as a religion, let Santa be kept out of the public school classroom (no more “Dear Santa” letters to line those school hallways)--or perhaps, in the interest of “diversity,” make his mythical, oversized personage share equal representation in literature, and song, and Christmas programs, with the other Person of the season: the Lord Jesus Christ, God made flesh, God with us."
"If you were my child's substitute teacher, I'd punch you in the mouth for this."
My prayers to your in laws and the entire family.
Santa Claus or not......what a lovely expression of the meaning of the season by your neighbors.
I don't know of what you are speaking ......... but I'm sure you are right......... because you are a woman!
Regards,,,,,,,,,,
bts
;-)
The spirit of St. Nicholas lives on in the hearts of many. What a beautiful story.
Even that wouldn't have been necessary. If the teacher was there to go over the lesson plans with the sub, the sub could have mentioned that she was uncomfortable reading the poem or not. I have substituted for many years and subs are expected to "wing it" on many occasions. Teachers usually list extra things to do in their lesson plans in case the class finishes up early on certain lessons. I would be surprised if the teacher hadn't listed some other options that the sub had at her disposal.
The sub could have selected another story to read to the children or played a word game, etc. She was obviously deficient in common sense and had her own agenda, which was to ruin Christmas for the children who believed in Santa.
Kids like yours
My children never use any bastardized language, they speak in the King's English, and do know the difference between swearing and speaking honestly, thank you. Just because you cannot, is no reason to speak of them in such a derogatory manner - - so go stuff that one into whatever kind of pipe you smoke...
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Kids like yours give me a good teaching opportunity for my kids and the society they are going to inherit.
You might just get off your lazy rear end and have them discover the word “fornicate” in the King James Bible some day?
Hell of a Christian you are...
Speaking of demented, haven't you been REPEATEDLY told NOT to post to me by the Mods and myself?
And yet you STILL do, repeatedly, sometimes sucky nice and sometimes crap like this.
You're a stalking psycho.
All the proof anyone needs is that you actually thought letting an 8 year old child surf FR was a good idea.
Good position to be in...I guess it's true that God will find a way to put us in the position most necessary for turning to him in prayer :)
Just kidding! :)
"what the he## is she doing teaching in elementary school?"
That's really easy for you to say. She has bills to pay.
You're saying that every teacher should be willing to tell society's official lies.
What I teach my children to say is not of your jurisdiction.
What they say to anyone, is their freedom of speech to do so... It is not your authority to silence the truth coming from the mouth of my child...
If she really was offended by the lesson plan, she should have walked out and not taught it.
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Holier than thou perhaps? She affirms in her letter that Santa Claus is a perversion of Christianity and is offended by the intrusion of this myth into Christ;s birth. As such, the myth of Santa Claus has really become secular and void of any real Christian meaning. All religion should be taught in public school. What are we afraid of, that discussing religion will "establish" one as prohibited in our constitution. Absurd of course. What they are afraid of is that discussion of religion will "perpetuate" one.
Nice touch, you hostile woman.
Instead of admitting that your sick, inappropriate post (shredding the reindeer) was out of place on Christmas morning, instead of being an adult, you have to lash out.
At least you are consistent.
You never know when to just volunteer that...."maybe I was wrong to post that." But, you never, never do. That is why you are ................ whatever.
By the way, you look a lot like Mary Mapes.
My darling neice was sitting by my side as I looked throught the Santa travels posts........ until your UGLY one.
Get a grip, you nasty creep!
Killjoy.
I've read many studies regarding Christ's birth and several have pointed to something rather interesting.
Christ's conception was more likely at this time of year, exactly coinciding with Hannukah, the Feast of Lights. Yes, He is the Light of the World, and it was at His conception that THE LIGHT was brought in to the World. He would have been born 9 months later, remarkably coinciding with the Feast of Tabernacles (for then He would have been tabernacled amongst us in person). The Feast of Tabernacles is celebrated toward the end of September or early October, depending upon the Jewish Calendar each year.
A lot of my reading has indicated that a lot of people seem to favor the spring birth (which you mentioned), but that doesn't coincide as well with the dates for his cousin John the Baptist's conception and birth.
Maybe you would like her in the classroom during Halloween?
Controversy over the origin of the word witch is valid when one considers the etymology of the term in other languages: venifica (Latin), hexe (German), streghe (Italian), etc. Only in it's English form has the word assumed a benign origin: wicca, purportedly meaning "wise."Any debate must center on recent claims that advance a positive and socially acceptable meaning for a term that has in all ages and most languages meant "poisoner," "frightener," "enchanter," "spell-caster," or "evil woman."
Anthropologists have shown that even in primitive societies, notably the Azande, the definition of witch carries malevolent connotations. Therefore, are we to assume that the only "good" witches in the world were English witches? This, however, becomes difficult to accept when one considers the term wizard, which stems from the Middle English wysard = wise, versus the Old English wican = to bend, from whence witch is supposedly derived. All in all, it seems to be an unsuccessful attempt to legitimize a word that probably originated by onomatopoeia - the formation of a word that sounds like what it is intended to mean!
Guess the source...
People get wrapped up over the little things that they overlook the larger picture. The Myth of Santa does not push out Jesus from the Holiday, but shows what the effect of Jesus had on others that Nickolaus' influence has become world-wide and spanning the centuries. Maybe not in a historial sense, but it is fun for the whole family.
There are those who do take the Santa thing too far, but that is the minority.
Myths? Now public school teachers are having moral issues about teaching something that might be a myth? Heck, about half of what public schools teach as "fact" is nothing but myth.
See tag line.
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